> a new era for afghanistan, ashraf ghani ready to be sworn in as president. >> you're watching al jazeera, live from doha. pro-democracy demonstrators continue a sit in in hong kong as police try to break up the demonstration. spy chiefs underestimate the threat of i.s.i.l. >> i'm here at the home of

particle physics, where a leading scientific project is turning 60. hello, it is a historic day in afghanistan. the country is about to inaugurate the first new president in a decade. ashraf ghani will be sworn in as head of a unity government as part of last week's deal to share power with abdullah abdullah. it marks the end of an era with hamid karzai, who has been president with the u.s.-led invasion in 2001. >> the taliban launched an attack on a local government headquarters. eight people, and four attackers were kill. it happened when a suicide bomber detonated a car of explosives at the gate of a compound. let's go live to jennifer glasse in kabul. what do we know about the attack? >> well, as you said, it happened early morning.

it is a kind of attack we have seen the taliban take on the hours across the country, a suicide bomber, followed by fighters on the ground. it took the place over an hour, two hours to kill the four attackers, but also killed in that attack four police, two men bers of the intelligence -- members of the intelligence service, and two civilians. these are the harassing attack. we have seen the taliban attacking in larger numbers. afghan security forces are kept busy. the defense minister says it's the most difficult year for them. the first year in the lead for security across afghanistan. 18 afghans a day. security and civilians have been killed in fighting so far this season. we have the new president about to be sworn in. the first peaceful transition of power in afghanistan in decades.

>> that's right. you'll see an elected president hand over to a newly elected president. something that has never happened in afghanistan. we are seeing at the presidential palace the afghan dignitaries. there were helicopters early this morning over the city, as international dignitaries were ferried in. the streets are silent here, police are everywhere, security is very, very tight in kabul as we get ready for the historic inauguration, and it's historic for two reasons, not only the first democratic transfer of power, but it's something never seen before. afghanistan will be ruling alongside abdullah abdullah, and he is expected to be sworn in as the new chief executive officer of afghanistan, in a unity government. the chief executive officer position, something brand new. ashraf ghani will have to create that by decree, the first act as

president, and the unity government will rule the country, afghan watching and waiting to see if this will work the the process is taking nearly six months since afghan came to the polls. it's relieved that afghans are over, and there'll be a new president soon. >> jennifer glasse reporting to us from kabul. and stay with al jazeera for the inauguration ceremony as it happens. the hong kong government withdraws riot police where pro-democracy protesters camped out. this is the scene from count hong kong. there has been an impact an businesses. share prices have fallen. protesters demand open nominations for upcoming elections in 2017. we have the final word over who can run for the top job.

that is something demonstrators want to see changed. pro-democracy demonstrators defy police attempts to disperse them, including firing tear gas. they've been gathering in city square where a number of buildings are located, including the office of the chief executive. and he called on protesters to pull back. >> i urged the people blocking the roads to leave peace flyas quickly as possible. so as not to effect the traffic in every day life of the community. i urged those of occupy central to end the occupation. >> scott heidler is in hong kong. >> well into the business day on monday. many of the protesters, thousands, are on the main thorough fares in hong kong, strangling this part of the city where the business district is. for the most part it's been

peaceful. monday we saw the violent confrontations with tear gas volleyed. it was in the early morning hours. monday has been a bit of chanting back and forth. for the most part there hasn't been confrontation like before. >> the impact - the stock market opened in hong kong and continued to slide down. a lot of financial institutions in the financial district are operating out of secondary positions or they have asked the employees to work from home. branch officers of several banks are shut and some of the shopping areas around the area where we are, they are also shut. we know that some teachers unions called for a strike, at least a dozen secondary schools in the hong kong area are closed on monday. what is going to be interesting as the day goes on?

is it going to stay like this, are the protesters occupying the street. will it remain peaceful. we saw action, we heard riot police on the streets. there's a flow of protesters going over there. there was no movement. earlier they handed out the umbrellas that they used to warden off the pepper spray. so far it's been calm, but throughout the day, in early afternoon numbers have swelled. all eyes are going to be here. the city is in the center part, it has a stranglehold on it. will it remain peaceful. >> the chinese backers are giving their authorities to hong kong. adrian has more. >> hong kong is part of china, and we have tens of thousands occupying the heart of central. these protests are taking place close to the headquarters of the

people's liberation army, which has 6,000 troops garrisoned in hong kong. the hong kong government says the troops would only be used if a request came from the hong kong government. so far that has not happened. it's a sobering reminder of the direction this could go. china is also sending out another message, and i think it's this. you can have your protests in hong kong, but nothing will change. the model for electoral reform that we have put forward is the only model up for discussion. i think they want to deny the story oxygen, which is why many parts of the state controlled media are not reporting the story. there was no mention of it on state trolleyed tv, c c.t.v., where most people get their information in china. it's their to assume millions in

southern china have been seeing what is going on in hong kong, because kong kong tv is seen in gan dong province. the fear that china has is that it gets unsettled by the idea of students occupying a central squir into a major -- square in a major city, evoking memories of the protests in 1989 when tens of thousands of students denouncing their government staged a sit in lasting four weeks. the question is how long will beijing allow the protests to continue. because this is in a sense also a test of beijing's commitment to the joint declaration that it signed with britain, guaranteeing one country, two systems. >> u.s. president obama admitted that his security officials underestimated the effect of i.s.i.l. the interview on u.s. television, president obama didn't realise how fighters

driven from iraq would regroup in syria. >> i think the head of the intelligence community, jim clapper acknowledged that they underestimated what had been taking pleas in syria. >> he didn't just say that we underestimated i.s.i.l. he said we overestimated the ability and the will of our allies, the iraqi army to fight. >> that's true. that's absolutely true. >> the u.s. air strikes against the islamic state of iraq and levant have targeted three makeshift oil refineries in syria. they are near the i.s.i.l. controlled town, and are meant to cut off funding for i.s.i.l. fighters who sell oil on the black market, worth as much as $3 million a day. >> the u.s. military released pictures of an air strike against i.s.i.l. fighters. it happened on saturday.

kurdish forces have been defending the town. i.s.i.l.'s advances forced 150,000 to flee into turkey. stefanie dekker is at the crossing. >> reporter: the syrian kurdish town is nestled across the border from us here in turkey, it's been a relatively quite. i say relatively, on saturday four shells landed in kobani. there were injuries reported. in the last few hours we heard more military activity on the eastern side, heavy weapons used, and a couple of loud explosions, and we have spoken to sources with a y.p.g., those protecting the area, and they appear to be firing from behind the hill to the west. i.s.i.l. has three flanks here, the western side is where they are closest, at the most, 12km

to the south. still a fluid battle and humanitarian impact is enormous. 150,000 people had to flee into turkey, and they at the moment will tell you that it's a difficult situation for us, and they are terrified of the advances, but i have to tell you at the moment the kurdish fighters have been able to keep i.s.i.l. back from reaching the town. >> india's prime minister has been given a rock star welcome in new york. thousands of indian american supporters greeted narendra modi at maddison square garden, a change for a man banned from entering the united states. >> reporter: just a few years ago narendra modi was denied a u.s. visa, the only person to fall foul of the u.s. international freedom account that sanctions violations of religious freedom. that was then. now he's feted by 18,500 members of the u.s. indian community,

and political and corporate leaders. from a revolving stage he basked in their adulation. >> translation: we should all join hands for mother india, and do what you can. long live mother india. the speech as beamed into times square where those that failed to secure tickets gathered. >> i think it will drive changes, and he's popular in the long indian population. >> politicians were keen to leave behind allegations that he did little to stop the murder of 1,000 people in 2002. >> i'm happy today. we have substantive issues to discuss and deepen, and economic ties, when it comes to advancing human rights, women's rights, it's a good day to celebrate our ties. >> it's not all adulation.

1,000 protesters gathered outside maddison square garden and say he shouldn't be treated like a rock star, but like a criminal. >> hindu sikhs and muslims were represented, as well as civil rights and antiwar groups. >> the red carpet rolled out raises concerns. we have basically a strong projust position and a type of aprofities and shadows that have been sfoing prime minister narendra modi since he was the chief minister of gooujera. it is a pleas of great concern. >> some suggested the adoring crowds were representative of india's wealthy, and not the poor majority, who they say were harmed by modi's policies of deregd deregulari

deregularisation. from new york he travels to washington d.c., to meet with political leaders and president obama. a u.s. establishment is opening its arms to narendra modi. >> still ahead - when we come back, looking for a safe passage, the gazans who go missing as they try to escape israel's blockade. >> find out why hundreds of swimmers are racing to an island in senegal, once known as the point of no return.

hello again, the top stories on al jazeera.

afghanistan's new president is set to be sworn in this hour. ashraf ghani's inauguration marks the first democratic transfer of power in afghanistan's history. hong kong's government says it has withdrawn riot police from an area where pro-democracy protesters camped out. they are demanding an end to the control over beijing's top post. u.s.-led air strikes against i.s.i.l. targeted three oil refineries, meant to cut off a major source of funding. they sell syrian oil on the black market. now, rescue workers in japan brought down four of the 31 bodies found on the slopes of an erupting volcano. the initial eruption on mt ontake trapped as many as 215 hikers. most brought down to safety by saturday night. the volcano continues to spew

ash and gas. wayne hay has this update on the rescue operation. >> this is one of the local government officers in the town of keeso, and where some of the family members of the victims of saturday's eruption has been coming to get an update from officials and rescue officials about the situation, and about the rescue plagues. as the victim's families arrive, they are met by a large contingent of japanese media. on sunday rescue officials said they had found a group of 31 climbers near the summit of the volcano, all presumed to be dead. for of the bodies able to be retrieved. the operation brought to an end. they were working close to the summit. the levels were too high, dangerously high. the operation to retrieve the

victims were to be brought to an end. that operation has resumed first thing monday morning. >> at least eight people died after 5.1 magnitude earthquake in southern peru, in a remote area. it took time for emergency workers to arrive. a state of emergency has been declared in the region, 45 homes collapsed. >> a court in egypt acquitted more than 100 alleged supporters. outlawed muslim brotherhood. they had been accused of violating protest laws. 12 university students from sentenced to four years in prison. and they were convicted in engaging in violent acts and being members of the muslim brotherhood. al jazeera continues to demand the release of three journalists in prison and egypt. peter greste, mohamed fadel fahmy and baher mohamed have now been detained for 275 days. they are falsely accused of aiding the outlawed muslim

brotherhood. mohamed fadel fahmy and peter greste from sentenced to seven years, badr got an extra fully for having a spent bullet in his possession, picked up at a protest. they are appealing. human rights in gaza say many have gone missing sings the end of the bombardment by israel. they are believed to have used people smugglers using tunnels into egypt. charles stratford has more. >> reporter: a shout to find missing family members. some people at the protest knew their relatives would risk their lives, risking taking the smuggling tunnels into egypt before catching a boat to europe. there was little they could do to stop them. >> translation: i haven't heard anything for 12 days, i don't know if they drowned at sea or where they were. >> reporter: it's believed

around 60 palestinians drowned trying to get to europe on boats in recent weeks. >> mohammed could have been one of them. he wants us to hide his entitied. he and three others paid smugglers to get to egypt and beyond. >> the situation in gaza is difficult. the dangers are worth taking. i gave the passports to the smuggler, he said he'd get the necessary steps and give us a call. >> mohammed said the tunnel was more than a kilometre long. he and others were 20 meters below the border. the earth shook and they were forced to turn back. >> we heard a massive explosion in a tunnel close by. we were terrified and only then realised the dangers we were

facing. >> al jazeera filmed this tunnel. they have since destroyed many tunnels. bombed out buildings line the roads, despite the israeli military's efforts to destroy the tunnels. people tell you mean are under the farms and villages. the border crossing with egypt was close to here. he climbed into a tunnel in the hopes of a better future abroad. >> the only way to go to egypt is with a work visa, dual citizenship. >> translation: we noticed the number of people disappearing increased sense the end of the war. the smugglers work as individuals, they are difficult to catch. mohammed says he will never give up his dream of leaving gaza. >> i will keep trying until i die. i am sure of that. >> determined words from a young

man desperate for a better life abroad. >> in senegal, hundreds of swimmers turned a stretch of water with a dark history into a show of strength, taking part in a 5km swim from dakar to gorey island, a former slave trading port. >> reporter: some are excited and have been waiting for this for months. others are nervous and less prepared. >> translation: it's tough training, i try to take part every year, it's a tradition. >> reporter: amateurs and professionals take part in this 5km race. the best swim to the island in under an hour. for the slower ones, it will take close to four hours. this stretch of the atlantic ocean is of historical importance. the island was for the slave

trade. it was the point of no return, slaves were boarded onships. it's a reminder of a dark chapter of human history. >> some of the slaves that escaped tried to swim out to the island. they were in chains. the waters are no longer shark invested. shipping traffic chased them away. jelly fish are the biggest concerns for the organizers. >> we have taken the support, the navy have been deployed. at the finish line, swimmers will reach firm ground. >> it was tough but worth it. i would do it again. >> i did it 10 years ago. i was 42 if the currents weren't as strong. >> it's the 27th edition of the race. organizers could turn it into a professional recess, they say it's the hundreds of amateurs

that raise the sun and the currents that make this race so special. a protestor in the eastern ukranian city has toppled one of the country's largest statues. pro-russian groups have protected the statue during previous attempts to use it. statues have been a common target. >> at least three people were killed during a motor show in the netherlands. a so-called monster struck veered off course, knocked down a guardrail and drove into a group of spectators, the driver is being questioned by police. at the end of the second world war, a group of europe's top scientists came together to create an international physics laboratory, and rather than using talents to build atomic weapons, they hoped to bring

nations together. 60 years later, they have done that, and this report is from geneva. >> reporter: big science comes to a small swiss village in the shave of a 30 tonne magnet, since formed, it has brought together more than 10,000 top engineers and physicists. >> attention, operation may be going... >> reporter: the result, an expensive and complex scientific experiment. >> it pushed the forefront of engineering technology, computer power, and all this science that goes into fundamental physics, spills out. the worldwide web came out. the list comms to celebrate physics, and we train hundreds of thousands of students in high level physics, computing, and to go out and do other things in the world.

>> the project nation use of a system of tunnels, deep beneath the border. subatomic particles travelling shy of the speed of light are smashed into each other. the result is fleeting glimpses of building blocks of physical world. when founded, the nature of matter was, in large part, a mystery, thanks to the collaboration of hundreds of scientists here, today we know that the matter we see in the universe is made up of a small number of particles, and they are subject to observable and distinct forces. creating collisions would be of little use without the ability to record the vast amounts of data. the computer system to do this changes the science and lives of people. >> the internet is a tool allowing international sign task

collaboration across all the borders. today we are heavily involved in sharing the scientific dat yes and computing resources. >> reporter: the disory of the -- discovery of the higgs bow son in 2012 was important and came after decades. now, after two years, and a million dollar upgrade, it will be ready for new experiments. pushing the boundaries is slow work, but it will benefit us all in time. as we have been reporting, we have been following events in afghanistan. the inauguration of the new president expected any moment now. these are the pictures brought to us by afghanistan television. there you see the room where it's going to happen and we will be going to that when it does

happen. at this point we'll say goodbye to viewers from the united states, on al jazeera america there's more on the website, aljazeera.com. get the latest from all the stories there. aljazeera.com. the united states is spending more than $7 million a day on its air campaign against the islamic state, and the man who trained the troops who showed the iraqi army to fight position. it's green versus green - i'll look at capitalism and economy in this climate crisis billionaires hiding behind their money, i tell you about the people pumping hundreds of millions into the midterm elections, who don't want us to know who they are. i'm ali velshi, and